Apparatus for cutting cork wafers.



N0: 850,519. PATENTED APR. 16, 1907. H. P. BUSGH.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK WAFERS.

APPLIDATION FILED MAILZS, 1906.

5 SH EETSSHEET 1.

WBTHESSES INVENTOR PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

H. F. BUSGH.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK WAFERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR26,1906

5 SHBETSSHBET 2 mvemon LULU I ynn-masses PATENTED APR. 16, 1907. H. F. BUSOH.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING coma WAFERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26, 1906.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mvn'ron PATENTED APR. 16,1907. H. P. BUSGH. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK WAFERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.26, 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHIIET 5- mvsm-oa UNITED srarnsrar nnr oi rion.

HERMAN F. BUSCH, OF MILLVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ARM- STRONG CORK COMPANY, ()F'PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PEN N SYLVANL APPARATUS FOR CUTTBNG co s-"m WAFEIRS.

To ai/Z'who'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN l Boson, of

. Millvale, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania,

have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Cutting Cork Wafers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whic h--- Figure 1 is a sectionalside elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a transverse section between the cams and the gages. l 4. and 5 are enlarged detail views of the magazine imwhanisin, and Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views of parts hereinafter referred to.

My invention relates to the cutting of cork wafers or disks such as are used in bottlecaps.

The objectof the invention is to provide a simple and.el'l'eetive apparatus which will enable a stationary rotating knife to be used and which will cut the disks successively to any desired gage and drop them from the niachine. The disks are cut one at a lime, and means are provided for feeding the cork lengths and clamping them in proper posi tion to be acted upon by the knife successively.

In the drawings, in which I show a duplicate form of the machine in which two sets of magazines are used. in connection with a single rotary knife, 2 represents the rotating knife. This maybe of any desirable construction, and .l have shown it as having a shaft with cords 'or belts 3, connected to shafts 4, having at their ends whetters for sharpening the knife during its rotation. Near the knife are two vertical spindles 5 5, having top and bottom disks 6 6, through which extend the annular row of nnigazines 7. These magazines consist of tubes, the lower ends of which. are provided with chucks S, which'are screwed into holes in the lower disk. The disks are preferably cut from the outer bark side to the inner bark side of the cork wood. These cork lengths are then dropped into the magazines one above the other and preferably with. their outer bark side uppermost. After each magazine is filled'to the desired height a weight 9 is dropped in upon. the corks. This weight 9 is preferably provided with an upwardly-ex- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 26, 1906.. Serial No. 307,985.

Pa.tented April 16, 907.

tending rod 10, which preferably has a collar 11 at such a height that it will rest on the to of the magazine-tube before the weight has "dropped below the. lower end of the tube. I

thus prevent any contacting of the Weight with the cutting-knife.

The chuck 8 at the lower end of each magazine is cut away in its outer portion for a carrying a roller 19, which is adapted to ride against earns 20 and 21, as shown in Fig. 2. These cams are suitably shaped so as to force back the chucks 12 against the pressure of the springs to a slight amount and sufiicient to allow the cork blanks to drop down against gages 22and 23, which are shown in Fig. 3. These gages are of arc shape and are adjustably secured below the magazines 7. The gage-plate 23 may be set to allow a slightly-greater drop of the blank than the plate 22, or it may set the same as the plate 22. Either-of the plates may be adjusted so as to give disks of any desired thickness. B

using two gage-plates a gap is left between these plates for dropping out the waste outer bark portion of each blank. If the blank has been cut down to this bark-wafer portion, it will drop out on the gage-p1ate 22. The next blank will drop upon it'and will then move it along the gageplate until it drops down between the two gage-plates. The blank which has dropped upon it will then be dropped on the next age-plate 23 the proper distance to give the esired thickness of wafer. After passing this cam the.

grippers engage the lowermost blank and hold it while passing the knife, which cuts off a wafer therefrom.- The cut wafers drop into the chutes 24, which are inclined, so as to feed them out of the machin The movable gripping-chuck for each magazine is prefers. 1y made quite thin. The reason for this is that the corks necessarily differ slightly in diameter, and if the gripper were of sufficient width it might be held back by the second cork from the bottom in such a way as to allow the bottom cork blank to drop out or be sufiiciently loose to .prevent the proper cutting of a disk therefrom. Each ga -plate preferably secured to a block or bracket" 25, which has dovetail guide connection. with a stationary guide 26. Set-screws 27 are provided for. holding the gage-su port so .that'the gage will be atthe desired lieight: a

In the use of the machine the sets of magazines may be fed in any desirable manner.

The operator or operators may fill the maga-' .zines of one rotary carrier and then start it into action, or they may fill the. magazines of both and start them into action, or they may partly fill the magazines of one or both and work alternately or in any other desired a manner The maga zine-carriers are driven by means of pulleys 28, which have clutch connection with the spindle-shafts 5, the clutches being' operated by projecting handles 29. When either carrier is in operation,it is turned 0011-. tinuously and preferably in the direction of the :wrows shown in Fig. 2, While the knife rotates in the opposite direction, ,as also shown by the arrow.

The advantages of my invention result from the large output which may be obtained and from the unii rmity and high character of the cork disks or wafers obtained- The knife is carried in stationary bearings, and as its Learmgs are. not moved 1ts action 18 accurate. The knife acts upon the projecting portions of the blanks as they successively pass it, and as there is no gage on which the cork rests during the cutting action the knife may act freely, and the disks or wafers will drop by gravity and free themselves from the machine.

"While I preferably employ an endless carrie'r havin Y a series of the magazines or holding-tubes, may do away with the carrier and simply use one or 'more' tubes, which are moved toward and away from the cuttingknife in any desirable manner. of cutting-knives may be used and many other variations may be made in the form and arrangement of the'parts without departing from my invention.

Other types 1. In cork-wafer-cutting mechanism, a

holding-chuck, a guide for cork blanks ex tending therefrom, a gage-plate, and means for projecting the cork blanks against the gage-plate, the age-plate being arranged to project the bla'n s a distance at least as great as the width of the holding-chuck; substantially as described. j

'2. In cOrk-Wafer cutti-ng mechanism, a holder orv magazine, a chuck-at its end, and means for projectin the blanks to a predetermined distance, t e thickness of the gripping-chuck being-not substantially greater than the thickness of the projected cork por tion; substantially as described.

3. In corkwafer-cutting' mechanism, a

movable carrier, aseries of holding-chucks thereon, ma azines'for the chucks each arranged to ho d a series of cork blanks, mechanism for actuating the chucks, and separated gages against which the cork blanks are moved successively to allow the bark wafer to drop between said gages; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand,

r HERMAN F. BUSCH.

Witnesses:

C. P. BYRNES,

- H. M. Conwnv. 

